PS 3505 
.H55 08 
1915 
Copy 1 



Anh (^ti^tt poems 



LILY WALLER CHATTEN 



/^ 



APR 



29 1915 



OUT IN THE COUNTRY 
AND OTHER POEMS 



^^>"*.^ 




LILY WALLER CHATTEN 

READER AND ENTERTAINER 



AUTHOR OF 
PENNYROYAL PEARLS' 



OUT IN THE COUNTRY 

AND OTHER POEMS 

FROM "PENNYROYAL PEARLS" 
BY 

LILY WALLER GHATTEN 



Chicago 
1915 






Copyrighted by 

LILY WALLER CHATTEN 

1915 



©CIA398741 



(§nt in tl|0 Qlountrg 

I've been out in the country, erway, erway, 

Out where horses and sheep and pigs and mules stay, 
Where they's sho-nufF apples growin' up on the trees. 

And the funniest bugs that the people call bees ; 
An' they's somethin' else curus out there what we found 

T'wus taters ergrowin' way down in the ground ; 
They wus covered all over with mud an' with dirt. 

But ole Uncle Abe said that that "wouldn't hurt" — 
It does seem like taters is too nice to grow 

'Way down in the mud where the horrid bugs go. 
An' I know somethin' else what's the worserest thing, 

It's worser a heap than the ole-bees what sting — 
It's great long things what stay down in the ground 

An' the boys, they 'est digs an' digs all round; 
Old logs, an' old stumps, an' old planks an' bricks, 

An' puts um in cans, and there they 'est kicks. 
Cause I speck they kinder think they 'est knows 

All about where us chilluns and Uncle Abe goes. 
When we're starting out toward the big pond in the wood, 

Uncle Abe ud stay there all night long if he could. 
Why Uncle Abe fishes all day every day, 

But I gets tired fishin' and I want to play, 
Goin' fishin' 's the most tiresomest thing to me 

It's zactly like when preacher comes to tea 
An' that ain't nuthin' but to wait an' to wait 

Fer the big folks to eat fore they pass me my plate. 
I don't see no fun in fishin' an' fishin' 

An' keepin' them poor little worms all er wishin' 
That they could get out er that ole tin can, 

An' go back to their home in the mud an' the sand. 



Cause ole Uncle Abe fishes hisself to sleep 

An' leaves me the worms an' the fishes to keep. 
An' one day when I was er waitin fer him 

I thought I'd jest let the little fish swim, 
So I took um an* put um all back in the pond 

An' the first thing I knowed they wuz all done gond. 
An' the harder I tried to ketch um you see 

The skeeder and skeeder they wuz of me — 
An' I didn't want Uncle Abe to know 'bout 

My lettin' the poor little fishes get out. 
An' while I was settin' there thinkin' an' thinkin' 

I saw two little eyes er winkin' an' blinkin' 
Close by the bucket right there on the ground, 

There wuz two big toad frogs erhoppin' eround. 
An' I just took my hat and let um hop in 

Then I slided um right down into the tin — 
An' they looked so sad an' lonesome, them two 

That I slided the worms in the bucket too. 
Then I thest took it up an' put on the top 

An' skedaddled straight home, I was too skeered to stop. 
An' when cook got the bucket and took off the lid, 

Don't ask me an' uncle about what she did — 
'Cause then Uncle Abe was too busy with prayer, 

An' I knowed well 'twas best for me not to be there. 



iMammg B ffitl' Mm 

Lord bless my soul! whar is dat chile? 

I caynt keep up wid him. 
He keeps me trottin' all day long, 

Dat sassy lil' Jim. 



Why, when I gits him in de house, 
Wid bread an' 'lasses too, 

1 has to leab dat fryin'-pan 
Ten times fo' I gits through. 

Sometimes I tinks I'z injy-rub. 

He keeps me jumpin' so; 
He's yere an' dar an' ebrywhar, 

Des in an' out de do'. 

De chickens runs da laigs mos' off 

To keep erway fum him, 
De rabbits' years is done pulled off 

By dat air lil' Jim. 

He done pull onto Towser's tail 
Till hit mighty nigh in two, 

An' when hit comes to eatin' jam 
Dat chile aint never through. 

It do git smeared all on his face, 

An' stuck-up in his hair ; 
An' bless my soul! when I sets down, 

Dey's 'lasses in de chair. 

But I'z sho glad when ebenin' comes; 

I'z tired, dat's whut I am, 
Ef I ain't at de 'lasses jug 

I'z spreadin' on de jam. 

I takes him in my arms des so 
An' hugs him good an' tight, 

An' rocks him till de boogy-man 
Done gone clean out ob sight 



(Refrain) 

Bless de lil' angel lamb, 

He's Mammy's Lil' Man. 
Des lay yo' haid right on my brass 

An' go to Sleepy Lan'— 
Oh, rock-a-bye, rock-a-by, 

Go to sleep. 



Out of the ether, out of the blue, 

Mist and cloudlet passing through, 
Out from the infinite realms of space, 

Down from the mercy seat of grace, 
Conquering lightning and wind and rain, 

Leaving planets and moon in my train, 
On past myriads of stars I go, 

Down to the waiting earth I flow, 
Down to the humble men who toil, 

Down to the selfish who strive for spoil, 
Down, down to her sin-cursed race. 

There to shine for the Master's Grace. 
I steal through crevices into dark pits, 

Into the garret where poverty sits. 
Gently soothing the invalid's brow, 

Out through the casement into the bough. 
Playmg with frolicsome lads I meet, 

Chasing their shadows over the street, 
Down in the meadows and valleys below. 



Down where the daisies and cowslips grow, 
Dropping a pearl on my white rose breast, 

Then with my Lilly Queen to rest. 
Lightly touching her brow so fair, 

Darting my arrows of gold through her hair. 
Then carressing a maiden sweet. 

Waiting in meadows her lover to meet. 
Then onward and onward, o'er fields of grain, 

Seeking the desert's barren plain, 
Weaving a web of sand and gold, 

Letting my coverlet bright unfold. 
Spreading my web of gold and lace. 

Out over miles and miles of space. 
Then onward and onward ever I go, 

Out where the ocean's great waters flow. 
Dancing, skimming along on her crest, 

Rocking so lazily on her fair breast. 
Taking her white-caps for my pillow. 

Warming her cold heart, soothing her billow. 
Then on her bosom serene I lie, 

Stretching my warm arms up so high, 
I draw mist and cloudlet from the sky, 

There on the ocean with me to lie. 
Then upward and upward again I go. 

Taking earth heavenward as I flow. 
Back to the source from whence I came, 

There to magnify His dear name. 
Back to the great Creator's throne, 

Upward through ether with star-dust sown, 
There to banish all sorrow and tears. 

There to shine through endless years. 



SCfnturb^ 



I'm longing for Kentucky 
Now that the Spring is here, 

Where the blue-bird and the robin 
Sing again their merry cheer. 

Where perched on hedge and dogwood, 

In coat of flaming ray, 
"King Cardinal" sits on topmost bough 

And trills his raptuous lay. 

Where tiny leaves have broadened 
Into palms that stretch and give 

New life and joy and happiness, 
And make us glad to live. 

Oh dear, dear old Kentucky, 
With turf of emerald green. 

With your clover-fields and daisies, 
And quiet rills between. 

No sky so blue in Heaven, 
No stars so sparkling bright. 

No moon, e'er told such secrets, 
To lovers night by night. 

I'm longing for Kentucky, 
Now that the spring is here — 

For Kentucky, old Kentucky, 
The place on earth most dear. 



Chicago, April 22, 1914 



g>utttmrr Sattt 

See the clouds so gently glide, 
Then the sultry sunshine hide ; 
See the lightning in the sky, 
And the birds to shelter fly 
Before the rain. 

Feel all Nature hold her breath, 
As if smothering to death ; 
How her pulses throb and beat 
From the sultry summer heat 
Before the rain. 

Then the leaves begin to quiver. 
And the boughs to shake and shiver, 
And the trees to bow and bend, 
While their messages they send 
Of coming rain. 

Soft the gentle breeze we feel. 
And we hear the thunder peal. 
As with voices low and sweet 
The glad message they repeat 
Of coming rain. 

Then the gentle drops begin, 
And the brown earth laps them in; 
And they fall on leaf and flower, — 
And we love and bless the hour 
Of coming rain. 



When the early tints of morn 
Tinge with gold the waving corn, 
When the Sun God of the day- 
Drives the dreams of night away 
In the Morn I love you. 

In the noonday's sunny glare, 
When life's gladness fills the air. 
In the busy stir and strife, 
In the mad career of life — 
In the Noon I love you. 

In the purple evening time, 
When we hear the vesper chime, 
When the swallows seek their nest. 
When man turns to peaceful rest — 
In the Eve I love you. 

And when night steals over all, 
When the deeper shadows fall, 
In the star-light, in the dew, 
Then my love bursts forth anew — 
In the Night I love you. 

In every tiny flower that grows. 
In every silent wind that blows, 
In the brook, the sea, the rain. 
Each one carols this refrain — 
Morning, Evening, Noon, and Night, 
I love you. 

*A Syrian word, meaning my dearest love as my love 
for the moon and stars. 



(Refrain) 



The summer winds caress her lips, 
The daisies kiss her finger-tips 
As on she skips. 

The sunshine nestles in her hair 
She is so beautiful and fair, 
With grace so rare. 

The grass bends light below her tread. 
The rose nods from her sunny bed 
At cheeks so red. 

All nature smiles as she goes by, 
And birds their softest songs do try. 
She is so shy. 

Her lover waits beneath the bower. 
Oh joy to him will be the hour, 
Charmed by her power. 

Go forth, lover bold and true. 
And tie her bonnet strings of blue, 
She waits for you. 

The bow of blue is quickly made. 

They rest beneath the lilac-shade. 

Fair youth and maid. 

Oh lovers bold and lovers true. 
May all things joyous come to you. 
The whole world through. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

PHI 

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